


price of peace

by justlikenart



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, i found this wip and just decided to post it because its sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26363698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikenart/pseuds/justlikenart
Summary: Might Guy thought he had made the final, ultimate sacrifice during his battle with Madara Uchicha. When he wakes up after that, he is understandably confused.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 98





	price of peace

**Author's Note:**

> hey welcome back to my naruto fanfiction. not a lot going on, i just like the idea of them finally getting a moment to be nice and gay with each other since the war finally ended. also kakashi went blind and that is canon. thanks for listening.

He hadn’t imagined the afterlife being like this. Not that he’d spent a whole lot of time thinking about it, though. But he’d always imagined it being brighter somehow. It’s pitch black right now. He didn’t know exactly what he’d pictured the afterlife looking like, but he imagined that he’d see something. Anything. Not just a pitch black void, absent of any landmarks.

The afterlife hurts, too. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but his leg feels horrible. He’s in agony, but he can’t make a sound because he’s dead and doesn’t have a physical body anymore.

Although… how is he feeling pain? And on top of that, how can he feel cool air brushing his face? How can he hear hushed voices, even if he can’t quite make out what words they’re saying?

He struggles with the familiar motions of opening his eyes, lifting his eyelids even though it takes more strength than anything he’s ever done before.

The world lights up. Guy blinks, bewildered, as the world comes into soft focus around him.

He’s in a hospital bed. In Konoha. He’s home.

He’s alive.

And that confuses him more than anything. He’s alive.

He shouldn’t be alive. He was absolutely certain he was going to die. He’d opened the Eighth Gate. No one who did that ever lived to tell about it. It was the nature of taijutsu. It was unchangeable. The Eighth Gate got its power from the resolve of the shinobi who would use his life to open it. 

And yet, here he was.

He lies in bed, unmoving, staring straight ahead of him. A nurse is by his side almost immediately, taking his vitals and talking to him. 

He pays her absolutely no mind, for the moment. He’s still…

He was ready to die. He’d been prepared to never see his rival’s face, never see his students again. He’d been ready to join Neji, the student he’d let down by not being there for him. He had been ready to finally rest, after the second great war in his lifetime. He’d been done. His duty had been fulfilled. 

And instead of long awaited rest, he was lying in a hospital bed, alone and in pain, watching a stranger work him over like nothing ever happened.

He needs to see a familiar face. He needs to know how it ended, if his sacrifice (or, not sacrifice) was worth it. He needs to know he died for good… no, he didn’t die.

He didn’t die.

He tries to speak, but his throat will not cooperate with him. Instead, all that comes out is a wheezing croak that stops the nurse in her tracks. 

“Don’t speak yet, Guy Sensei,” she says, laying a hand on his chest. “Let us get you some water first. You’ve been out for quite a while. Almost five whole days! Rokudaime Hokage is going to be relieved.”

He lets her speak, barely listening to a word she’s saying. He doesn’t have it in him to care about the world of the living quite yet, and so he doesn’t. He lies still and complacent, while the nurse lifts his torso and puts more pillows underneath him so he is propped up at an angle. When that is done, she hands him a small cup filled with ice chips and a spoon.

He takes it, holding it still in his hands and staring at it. He feels the dryness, the thirst in his mouth. But he can’t bring himself to do anything. It’s too soon, it’s all too soon, he hasn’t processed it all yet and it’s too much for him.

The nurse backs out of the room, and he can hear her soft voice saying “someone get him, tell him he’s awake,” but he can’t quite bring himself to care about whoever they’re getting. He sits, unmoving, staring at the cup in his hands, and wonders how long it will take for the ice to melt. That’s all he can think about. Simple things.

Like the birds singing outside. The pain in his leg, sharp despite the painkillers he can feel in his system. The cold of the ice, insulated slightly but still present and biting at his newly awakened fingertips. The warmth of the sunlight on his skin. And he looks up, sensing movement, and sees the face of his eternal rival at the door.

Kakashi looks older. That’s the first thing Guy notices. The lines around his eyes have deepened considerably, bags darker, and face thinner in general. But the smile is warm, genuine. The second thing, which isn’t surprising, is the robes he is wearing. Long, white, with red lettering spelling it out. The Sixth Hokage’s robes. Guy knew, knew for such a long time that his rival was going to be the Hokage someday, and seeing it fills him with a sort of fierce joy. And the third, far more surprising thing he notices, is his eye- and this catches him so off guard he can’t hold back from commenting.

“Kakashi! Your eye,” he says, fully aware that Kakashi’s eye is probably the last thing on the other man’s mind.

He blinks, surprised, and Guy can’t quite believe it. The Sharingan is gone. There’s no headband covering the half of his face. It’s open, uncovered, and there is no Sharingan. Just a dark brown eye, matching the other one. 

He looks more human, Guy decides. He’s interrupted from thinking more by arms shoved around him in a desperate hug.

Guy’s taken aback by this, too. His friendship with Kakashi had rules and precedents, and this went outside those. He’d never hugged Kakashi before, although he’s certainly thought about it.

Kakashi’s head is pressed against Guy’s shoulder, and Guy realizes he’d just sat still, limp in Kakashi’s arms. He slowly moves his arms up, to hug his friend back.

Kakashi doesn’t move. Guy feels his chest rise and fall quickly, but he can’t see Kakashi’s face and so doesn’t know what emotions he’s feeling. But it doesn’t matter. His rival’s touch is warmer than the sunlight, comforting and familiar. Guy leans into it, closing his eyes and letting himself feel everything.

He’s crying before he knows why, tears streaming down his face and soaking Kakashi’s robes. He wants to pull back, apologize, but he can’t. He’s so tired, and he shouldn’t be alive and he’s in pain and Kakashi is there, holding onto him tightly. 

And Guy will never be sure, but he feels some wet stain on his own shoulder and knows Kakashi was probably crying too, silently and sneakily just like always.

And finally, he pulls back, because as much as he takes comfort in his partner’s touch he needs words, too. He needs to be heard.

They don’t let go all the way. Guy finds his fingers curled tightly in Kakashi’s robes, right over his heart. He doesn’t want to let go, and his heart stops when he sees Kakashi’s hand reach toward his, and gently pull him free of his clothing. His movements hurt for only a second, before Kakashi does another uncharacteristic but not unwelcome move. He laces their fingers together, holding onto Guy’s hand.

Guy stares down at their joined hands for a long, long time before Kakashi’s voice, quiet but filled with emotion, causes him to look up again.

“Don’t do that again,” he says, and when Guy meets his gaze it’s deadly serious. 

Guy laughs, because the thought of being in a situation where he needs to do that again is so horrible that laughing is all he can think to do. “I don’t think that will be a problem,” he admits, because his leg hurts so much he honestly doesn’t know if he can walk, let alone perform taijutsu maneuvers. 

And he’s maybe glad about that, but he won’t admit it yet.

He half expects Kakashi to be offended, because Kakashi was never really the kind of guy you laughed at. But he’s unmoved, still earnest and serious. He has something else to say, something he needs to get off his chest. “Guy…” he says, and his throat sounds stiff and his voice sounds forced, like speaking is a Herculean effort. “I almost lost you. I- Don’t do that again.”

He doesn’t know why he’s surprised at the emotion in his friend’s voice. Well, he does. Kakashi kept to himself, on all matters. His own emotions were usually ignored or skillfully hidden. But now he’s an open book, and Guy can see. The fear, the sadness, the grief. The hope. The joy. And something else. Guy can’t name it, not because he doesn’t know the word. Because it’s too personal, and not Guy’s business unless Kakashi chooses to share it. 

He takes Kakashi’s other hand in his, delighted that he lets it happen with no hesitation.

“Tell me what happened,” Guy says, hoping to help his friend through the storm of emotions he senses inside him. But Kakashi shakes his head. 

“Maa, we can talk about that later,” he says, pulling some of his old personality into it. “Tell me about you. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? How’s your leg? Are-” Guy interrupts, but he’s touched. It reminds him of when he used to fuss over Kakashi, when his partner was coming back from missions.

“Shhh. I’m fine, Kakashi.” He’s absolutely unconvincing, but for now he really is fine.

Kakashi frowns slightly, but lets it pass. “You’ll tell me later, right?” he asks. 

Guy nods, and then smiles widely. “Of course! Now, when were you going to tell me you’ve been named Hokage?!” 

Kakashi blinks in surprise, then looks down at his robes. “Oh, right, right. Hokage.”

Guy laughs, because really only Kakashi could forget he was the Hokage. “I’ll never catch up with you now,” Guy laments, but of course he doesn’t mean anything by that. “You’ve taken the Ultimate Victory, my dear rival!”

“I’m sure you’ll surpass me again in no time,” says Kakashi, smiling at him. “You always do.”

And Guy feels those words hit him like they’re a physical attack, but it’s fine. He’s wanted to hear that for a long time, and even though he always knew Kakashi cared about him, valued their rivalry, hearing proof always made him emotional.

He doesn’t cry this time. He just stares at Kakashi, sure that the other man will know what he’s thinking.

And Kakashi does. “Hey, scoot over,” he says. “If you can.”

He does, shifts slightly to the side. His leg is bound in a large cast, but moving it isn’t too difficult and doesn’t hurt more than keeping it still. Kakashi lets go of one of Guy’s hands, keeping the other one as he shifts and lays down next to him.

The bed really isn’t big enough for both of them, but Kakashi’s long and narrow frame doesn’t take up a lot of space. Besides, Guy doesn’t want him to move. He shifts a little more, giving Kakashi access to the pillows.

Kakashi sighs, settling down. He’s on Guy’s right side, Guy’s right hand held tight in Kakashi’s right hand. Kakashi’s on his own left side, to take as little space as possible. They’re lying face to face, holding hands, and suddenly given a good view of his face, Guy sees how tired, how worn his old friend is. 

They must both be like this. No longer youthful. Faces lined with age and stress, bodies broken under the weight of their burden. And Kakashi, having just shouldered the most difficult burden of his life, is now forced with a new one. Hokage.

“Are you okay?” Kakashi says, and this is different than the questions Kakashi asked before because Guy can feel how vulnerable Kakashi feels. He sighs. He feels like if Kakashi can be vulnerable, then he might as well give it a shot.

“I thought I was going to die,” he admits, after a long while of steeling himself up. The words have a foul taste as they leave his lips. “I was ready. I accepted it. I was going to my death and I did not regret it. And I’m alive now.” 

He doesn’t know how to explain the sensation. He feels empty. He’d made his peace, he’d tied his loose ends. He had closed the book, and he had felt good about it. But here he was, despite his story ending.

He can’t explain it. It’s just. He’s not unhappy that he survived, but frankly he isn’t happy about it either. And he’s not sure how he’ll tell that to Kakashi, who came so close to losing him.

But Kakashi is a man full of surprises, and even though Guy thought he knew his partner too well for surprises now, he managed to come through.

“I understand,” he says quietly, and Guy stays silent. He doesn’t think Kakashi will keep speaking, because Kakashi’s usually not the person who shares his experiences or emotions unless he really has to.

But he surprises him yet again. 

“Do you remember when Pain attacked Konoha?” Kakashi asks, and of course. How could he forget?

\---

Out on a mission with his team. Tenten, Lee… Neji… all his kids, all grown up. They were strong, they were so strong and he was so proud…

The ravens took flight. The sky became dark. The ravens screamed out their call and Guy knew something was wrong. And inexplicably, he knew it was Kakashi.

His team turned around, concerned for their village of course. They were each perfect shinobi… 

They entered combat, and Guy had tried not to pay attention to the whispers. But they found him. Kakashi Hatake had died, taking on Tendo Pain and the robotic one. He’d died saving Choji, so that the younger man could get to the Hokage and share what Kakashi had figured out about the enemy. Intel that Naruto had later used to save them all.

But Guy had fought, the whole time fighting the sinking, all consuming despair he felt. His best friend, his eternal rival, his man of destiny… 

And then the battle had ended, and Naruto was gone fighting the real Pain, and Guy’s work was done.

No one wanted to tell him where Kakashi was, but he wheedled it out of Choza eventually. Choza had been on the brink of death himself, saved by the Hokage and his son.

And Kakashi, whose body Guy found very quickly. It was the site of a great battle. Kakashi was on the edge of a huge crater, caught in some large explosion. He was trapped, his entire body below his chest pinned by debris from the explosion. His head lolled back, neck exposed. It would have been extremely uncomfortable if he was alive, but…

Blood had congealed all over his face, soaking into his hair and painting it a dull crimson color. His Sharingan eye was open, the pattern on it one Guy recognized as the Mangekyo Sharingan. His chest was still, the only movement wind blowing his hair around his face. His skin, always pale, had gone even more pallid and grey as the blood stopped flowing. 

He was unmistakably dead.

Guy moved to Kakashi’s side, putting a hand on his shoulder. He stayed like that for a while, sitting by the corpse of his best friend and thinking. 

And then he began to work. Clearing the debris was tough, but eventually Guy managed to lift enough and pry Kakashi’s body free. 

He laid his body out on the ground. He sat by Kakashi’s head, running a hand through bloody white hair. 

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Kakashi had lost so much, had suffered more than anyone Guy knew. He wasn’t supposed to die so young, not even thirty. Kakashi was exceptional. He wasn’t supposed to die first.

Guy felt tears coming (always emotional, but he didn’t mind that) and he reached out. He gently closed Kakashi’s (Obito’s) eye, running a finger down the scar. He couldn’t- couldn’t stay here much longer, or he would lose his composure. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stood up and moved away from his best friend’s lifeless corpse.

He had duties to serve.

\---

“I died,” says Kakashi. “It was chakra exhaustion from saving Choji that killed me, and not Pain himself. But it didn’t matter. I died. My heart stopped. And I was okay with that.” 

Guy understands. The way Kakashi felt, using Kamui one last time and killing himself, it’s the same way he’d felt before opening the gate. He had known this decision would kill him, and he’d made it anyway. 

“I saw them, you know. I saw Minato Sensei, and Rin… and Obito. I saw my father.” 

Guy can’t say a word. Kakashi never spoke of, well, any of the people he’d just mentioned. He’s afraid for just a second, that Kakashi will finally break, but he pushes that fear aside easily. Kakashi is strong. He’s a survivor. 

“I was dead, and I saw their spirits in the stars. And then I joined them, and I saw my father,” and there’s a weird, almost green light shining in Kakashi’s eyes (both of them, Guy thinks excitedly), but he still says nothing and lets Kakashi finish. “I sat at his side, and he said he’d been waiting for me. And I told him.”

Kakashi falls silent, lost in thought. But Guy, who’d always liked Sakumo Hatake, wants to hear the rest. “Kakashi?” he says, gently nudging the other man. Kakashi makes a small sound in acknowledgement.

“Hmm? Sorry. What?”

“What did you tell him, Kakashi?”

“Oh,” he says and he laughs softly, his eyes curving into crescent moons. “Well, everything.”

“Everything?” Guy repeats, because it’s a little vague for his taste and doesn’t get much across. “What do you mean?”

“I told him… about Obito. And Rin. And everything in between. I told him about Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. I told him about the ANBU, and I told him about you.” And this time, when Kakashi falls silent, Guy lets him. He thinks about it, about the Sakumo he barely remembers and Kakashi, only five years old when Sakumo killed himself and left his only son an orphan. And then he imagines what he thinks Sakumo would do and say, seeing his only son all grown up and dead so soon.

Kakashi isn’t silent for long, though. “But I came back,” he says simply. “The Rebirth… brought me back, and all the others. And being reborn hurt, not because of the physical wounds but because I had moved on.”

Guy understands, then. Understands that what Kakashi went through then is probably similar to what Guy is going through now. 

“Yeah,” Guy responds. “It is painful.”

Kakashi squeezes his hand in response. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, voice softening.

He does. But not now. Now he’s content to feel the blood rushing through his veins, the power of the youth that hasn’t quite abandoned him yet. He’s content to feel his heart beating in his chest, and Kakashi’s heart beating right alongside him. He doesn’t want to talk about himself just yet. 

“Not yet,” he answers. “Soon, I promise.”

“Okay,” says Kakashi. 

And Guy, whose own body is falling asleep, is content. But Kakashi, the overthinking bastard, hasn’t quite finished his say.

“Guy?” he asks, quietly, after the silence between them just begins to get long. “Can… I need to tell you something. I-”

“Take it easy,” Guy says. “We have time. You can tell me later.”

They have time. For once, the shadow of war doesn’t loom just over the horizon and they have nowhere to be but home. 

Kakashi refuses to be subdued, however, frankly ruining the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere Guy is trying to maintain. “No, I have to tell you. Before something else happens and we both die for real.” He’s joking, of course, but there is something more serious there and so Guy relents. 

“I told my father everything,” Kakashi says. “About you… and me. I told him… so I should tell you, too.” And he stops, mentally steeling himself up to keep speaking.

“Kakashi…” He knows. Of course he does. They’ve talked about this. They know everything about each other. Kakashi knows how Guy feels about him, because Guy just couldn’t hold back and he needed Kakashi to know. And Guy knows Kakashi has feelings for him, too, but his life circumstances have made it almost impossible for Kakashi to deal with that. He understands. He remembers, then. Confessing.

\---

They sit on the roof of Kakashi’s apartment building. Kakashi clad in the armored uniform of the ANBU Black Ops. They sit back to back, and Guy is busy thinking about his plan. Tomorrow, he, Asuma (he needs Asuma because the Hokage is more likely to listen to his son), and Kurenai are all trying to get Kakashi back again. They’re imploring the Hokage to drop Kakashi from the ANBU and make him a jounin sensei like the rest of his class. 

He’s just not cut out for the ANBU. Guy sees it, the darkness lurking in Kakashi’s eyes. He’s never been afraid of his childhood rival before now, before seeing what the ANBU had turned him into.

But moments like these, on the roof at night where no one else can see them, is when the real Kakashi comes from underneath the mask. And it’s moments like these that Guy understands. He understands why he can’t stop worrying about Kakashi, why he cares so much about his wellbeing. He understands why his heart beats too quick when he sees him, and why he gets so scared when he sees that Kakashi’s been wounded in missions.

“Kakashi,” he starts, and he has to say it because he can’t bear the thought of Kakashi not knowing. But he also knows that Kakashi, no matter how he feels, won’t be able to say it back and he’s okay with that. As long as he knows.

“Yeah, Guy?” Kakashi responds, picking up that this is something serious.

“I love you,” he says, deciding now’s better than later and not to beat around the bush. “And I know… how you feel. But you deserve to know.”

Kakashi stays still for a long, long time. “Guy, I-”

“It’s okay,” says Guy, knowing what Kakashi’s going to say. He’s in ANBU, he can’t… be known under the mask. Even their friendship breaks the rules. And he’s broken, from Rin and from Obito and the weight of war. He knows that Kakashi cares about him, but he just doesn’t love him like Guy loves him. And that’s okay.

“I care about you a lot,” Kakashi admits, face flushing slightly. “I- Guy. I don’t want you to-”

“It’s okay, Kakashi,” Guy says again. “I know.”

Kakashi lets it go. “Okay,” he says, and absently takes Guy’s hand in his. It’s the closest he can get, for now, and Guy takes it. He and Kakashi sit back to back, hand to hand, and enjoy simply being together while they still can.

\---

And they’re adults now, and Kakashi lies in Guy’s bed. They’re holding hands still, and the war is over. They’re no longer children, and Guy might not even be a shinobi any more. They’re tired old men now.

And Kakashi smiles at him, and it’s soft and warm and perfect, in a way. “I love you,” he says. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say it.”

And Guy laughs, and reaches his free hand to cup Kakashi’s face in his palm. “You don’t need to apologize. I knew. But I’m glad you can say it. I love you, too.”

Kakashi doesn’t move under Guy’s touch, but his other hand comes up. “I- oh,” and he gives up on words and suddenly Guy sees. He sees the mask yanked down below Kakashi’s mouth, has just a moment to take in the sight of his partner’s exposed face before he feels lips on his.

Kakashi’s hand comes to rest in Guy’s hair, and Guy in turn keeps touching the exposed skin of Kakashi’s jaw while they kiss. It’s soft, unhurried, and they pull apart after a few moments. They breathe together, and don’t move aside from that. After a few moments, Guy pulls Kakashi close, pressing their chests together so no space remains between them. Kakashi shifts, until he occupies the big spoon position. 

“I’m going blind,” Kakashi says, shocking Guy out of their comfortable silence. “Madara took m- took the Sharingan from me, and Naruto replaced it. But I had been losing my sense of vision before. I paid the price for using Mangekyou Sharingan already. I just thought you should know.”

And Guy, who’s aware he will likely never walk unaided again, feels another rush of empathy. They both lost a lot in this battle, in the war.

“How bad is it now?” Guy asks, because now that he knows it makes more sense. He remembers moments now, moments of seeing Kakashi struggle to make something out even though Guy could see it clearly. Of him mistaking people for others, even though the people he would mistake for one another had few characteristics in common. Him having orders read out loud to him, and dictating all writing to other people.

“...Pretty bad,” Kakashi admits. “Functionally, I’m blind already. I have months, at most, before total darkness.”

But they can take it. They’ll make it. Kakashi will be a fine Hokage, because truthfully no one deserves it more. Guy will help him, and so will Pakkun and all Kakashi’s other ninja hounds. 

“I will likely never regain use of my leg,” Guy tells Kakashi. “The 8th Gate is very destructive. I have survived, but. You paid with your eyesight, and I paid with my leg.”

And Kakashi nods. “Yes. But we’re done. We’ve done it. The five nations will not go to war again.”

And there it was. The trials, the hardships, everything that destroyed their lives. It was over.

They’d fought their battles and did their time, and they’d won.


End file.
